2019 Lexus ES: First impression

The Lexus ES is undoubtedly one of the most premium looking luxury sedans in the Middle Eastern market. Everything about it feels so good that the company has been very active with its facelifts and new generation updates.

For 2019, the company has introduced the seventh generation model, which is nothing short of being an epitome of styling. Interestingly enough, at the time of the launch, the company also mentioned that it would be bringing all trims in the range, which includes the petrol form of ES 200, 250 and 350 and the ES 300h hybrid.

So, if you have been wanting to know more about the new 2019 Lexus ES, look no further. Here is the first impression.

Everything about the designing

The 2019 Lexus ES takes a lot of the designing cues from the bigger flagship model, the LS and is built on the company’s new platform, which is the K(GA-K). Hence, it is much more than just a facelift up the sleeves of the company.

Dimensionally, it is slightly longer and wider than the outgoing model but is lower at the same time. Also, the wheelbase is longer by 50 mm. It is available in three different wheel size of 17-inch, 18-inch and 19-inch.

Apart from these, there are plenty of features that you could get in the car, which include a glass roof and door handle illumination for the foot area. The windshield is specially made with green glass and also has functions like UV-cut. This special glass is used for the windows as well.

What comes in the cabin

Once you enter the cabin of the 2019 Lexus ES, you will be amazed to see the entire setting. Up front, there are features like a 7-inch TFT colour display along with a head-up unit. The air-conditioning system has an automatic function, including independent controls for the front along with pollen filter and odour removal feature.

There are plenty of small storage compartments throughout the cabin, like the door map pockets at the front and cup holders both for front and rear. The steering wheel column has the tilt and telescopic feature along with the auto away and return function.

The infotainment system has a 12.3-inch multi-view display that is connected to the Lexus Premium Sound system and supports, MP3, WMA, and a DVD player. The audio is routed to 10 speakers.

The engine and transmission

The smaller 2.5-litre, inline four-cylinder engine variant of the 2019 ES makes 204 PS of power along with a peak torque of 243 Nm. The bigger 3.5-litre motor is a V-aligned six-cylinder unit which can thump out 301 PS of humongous power and a highest torque of 362 Nm. The transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed automatic unit.

On the other hand, the 300h variant has the fourth generation hybrid drivetrain. This mechanism is mated to a 2.5-litre four-cylinder internal combustion engine and can make a total power of 215 PS and has a fuel efficiency of around 21 kmpl.

Speaking about the fuel-efficiency, the 2.5-litre and 3.5-litre variants have a claimed fuel efficiency of 17.2 kmpl and 12.8 kmpl respectively.

Safety system

The 2019 Lexus ES is extremely rich in its safety approach. There are a plethora of SRS airbags everywhere around to ensure safety in an unforeseen event of a crash. Apart from this, there are security alarm and vehicle immobiliser as well.

As for the braking, there are ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution along with a brake assist system. Vehicle stability control and traction control system takes care of the car while in motion.

Also, there is a host of sensors for the convenience of the driver, which includes a parking support alert system, a blind spot monitoring system, and lane departure warning.

Verdict

The 2019 Lexus ES does look like an elegant and luxurious sedan, especially with its increased dimensions (lower height). Its fair resemblance with the flagship LS only makes things better. And thanks to the update into the seventh generation, it now has a very comfortable cabin with good legroom.

However, with the decreased height, tall occupants may find the headroom to be on the lower side. Also, the hard plastics on the centre console does not help the cause either.